Door-fastener.



PATENTED NOV. 8. 1904.

D. WILDE.

DOOR, FASTBNER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 27, 1904.

NO MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented November 8, 1904.

DANIEL WILDE, OF WASHINGTON, IOWA.

DOOR-FASTENER;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 774,627, dated November 8, 1904.

Application filed July 27, 1904. Serial No. 218,398. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DANIEL WILDE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Vashington, in the county of Washington and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Door-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in door-fasteners, the present invention being in the nature of a so-called door-check of the link-and-chain type. It has been common to provide doors with chains-fasteners to admit of air, being opened a limited distance, but not su'fliciently far to admit an intruder, and of such construction that entrance could not be effected from the outside. One serious objection to the chain is that it is flexible, and consequently cannot be used to fasten the door open, and when left open would not be hindered from blowing shut and perhaps slamming unless some object was placed between it and the door-jamb.

The object of my present invention is to accomplish all that the chain will do, at the same time obviating its objectionable features. hen the door is set open with my device, it is locked at that place and wind will not close it, neither can it be further opened from the outside, and if closed from that position the latch automatically catches and the door becomes securely fastened.

My invention further provides for preventing the door from latching by closing it from the outside when it is intended that it should not be fastened closed, and this is provided for by an adjustable catch pivoted to one of the keepers and capable of being set in position to prevent the latch-bar from dropping into the keepers.

With these objects in view my invention consists in a latclrplate adapted to be placed on the door in combination with a pivoted latch-bar connected with the door jamb or frame and having sliding connection with the latch-plate at one end of the latter, from which it cannot be removed from the outside, and so constructed that it returns the bar to its keepers when the door is closed.

It further consists in the novel features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is ing the door locked in its partly-opened position. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the latch-plate, and Fig. 4 is a modification.

A represents a latch-plate. This latch-plate is preferably the same at each end, so that it is equally applicable to a door swinging in either direction or from either side. The plate is provided with keepers 1 1 at each end having inclining upper edges and a centrallylocated keeper 2, which extends out beyond the others, its inclining upper edge being longer and in a lower plane for a purpose which will be hereinafter explained. ends of the latch-plate and adjacent to the keepers the plate is recessed or notched, as at 3 3, to receive the latch-bar 4, which is pivoted at one end to the door-jainb and provided with a notch 6 at the other end in position to engage the latch-plate at the lower end of the recess 3 when the door is partly opened, as shown in Fig. 2. Projecting over the notches 3 3 are the guards 7 7, which prevent the latch-bar from being raised out of the notch sufliciently far to prevent its withdrawal from the latch-plate, while the outer keepers 1 1 constitute lateral guards when the door is in this position, preventing the latch-bar from being removed from the notch laterally or sidewise.

The latch-plate is preferably secured to the door by a couple of screws 8 8 extending through vertically-disposed slots 9 9, the latter being of sufficient length to admit of the latch-plate being adjusted vertically either at one or both ends to bring it into the desired position to operate most effectively with the latch-bar.

In operation it will be seen that to swing the door entirely open the latch-bar israised to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, entirely clearing the latchplate and all three of the keepers. To close the door and fasten it, the latch-bar is dropped across the At the. i

latch-plate into all three of the keepers, thus making a very secure fastening. To open the door and fasten it part way, the latch-bar retaining its position in the notch 3 at the j outer end of the latch-plate, from which it cannot be removed by reason of the relative 1 position of the guard and keeper after the door has commenced to open and the latchbar has dropped down upon the inclined upper surface of the centrally-located keeper 2. Then as the door is opened the full length of the latch-bar the notch in the latter is caught in the edge of the latchplate, where it is locked. To close the door when in this position, the latch-bar is raised until the notch is out of registry with the plate, whereupon the door is closed, and as it closes it swings the bar around inward toward the door until it reaches the outer end of the keeper 2. It then rides upward over its inclined upper edge, which raises it to a point where it drops into the other two keepers, thus securely locking the door. One advantage the chain is said to possess over a rigid bar of this character is that the door may be opened from the outside as far as the chain will permit, so that the milkman or other tradesman, for instance, may open the doorin the morning and place the milkbottle or other goods inside without disturbing the occupants of the house or apartment. afterward closing the door. This is provided for in my invention. The adjustable catch 12 is pivoted to the central keeper in position to be thrown over into the path of the latch-bar when the latter would otherwise drop into the keepers and fasten the door so that it could not be opened from the outside. hen the adjustable catch is thus set, the latch-bar will not lock or drop into the keepers, although the door may still be closed. Thus it may be opened the full length of the latch-bar by simply pushing it from the outside. Then it will again close by lifting the latch-bar out of the notch and pulling the door shut by pulling the knob. Then to adjust the adjustable catch so the bar will lock the door the adjustable catch is simply thrown back or down out of the way. This adjustable catch is shown in the modification. (See Fig. 4.)

Slight additional changes might be resorted to in the form and arrangement of the several parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the exact constructions herein set forth; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a latch-plate having central and end keepers, and a guard projecting into the plane of the end keeper, of a latch-bar having a notch therein adapted to engage the latch-plate to lock a door partly open, and means for causing the bar to auto- 1 matically lock the door when the latter is closed.

2. The combination with a latch-plate having a keeper at each end and one in the center, the central keeper longer than the outer keepers, and its upper edge in a lower plane, and guards projecting into the plane of the end keepers, of a latch-bar pivoted to the door-jamb and provided with a notch in position to receive an edge of the latch-plate, when the door is partly open, and means for automatically throwing the bar into the keepers, when the door is closed.

3. The combination with a latch-plate hav-- ing a central and end keepers and notches adjacent to the end keepers and guard projecting over these notches into the plane of the end keepers, of a pivoted latch-bar having sliding connection in one of the notches and adapted to lock the door ajar or closed according to the position of the door, the latchbar maintaining its position in the notch during either locked position of the door.

4:. The combination with an adjustable latch-plate having notches, keepers and guards at its ends, and an intermediate keeper, of a latch-bar, and adjustable means for preventing the bar from entering the inner keepers.

5. The combination with a latch-plate having end and intermediate keepers, and. an ad justable catch, of a latch-bar adapted to be held by the keepers to lock the door in its closed position.

6. The combination with a latch-plate hav ing two keepers and a guard projecting into the plane of at least one of the keepers, of a latch-bar having a notch therein adapted to engage the latch-plate to look a door partly open, said latch-bar retained in the keeper by means of the guard at all times except when the door is closed, at which time the latch-bar may be lifted therefrom.

7. The combination with a latch-plate having a keeper at the end, said keeper rigid and standing parallel with the latch-plate and a short distance therefrom, the latch-plate pro vided with a guard extending in the plane of the plate, and having a notch or recess beneath the guard, of a latch-bar adapted to be confined within the notch between the guard and keeper, said latch-bar adapted to be pivoted to a door-jamb and the latch-plate secured to the door.

8. The combination with a latch-plate having a keeper at the end formed by a bend in the end of the plate, the inner edge of the keeper parallel with the plate, and set off a short distance therefrom, the end of the latchplate notched or recessed adjacent to the keeper and provided with a guard in the form of a continuation of the end of the latch-plate, of a latch-bar-confined within the notch between the keeper and the guard and removable therefrom when said bar is parallel or approximately parallel with the latch-plate.

9. The combination with a latch-plate having end keepers, and guards projecting into the planes of the end keepers, of a latch-bar having a notch therein adapted to engage the IQ latch-plate to lock a door partly open, and

means for causing the bar to automatically lock the door when the latter is closed.

.In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DANIEL VVILDE. 

